On a beautiful Summer day I gathered with about one hundred other folks and the hardworking crew of Outstanding in the Field at Willowood Farm to enjoy a meal prepared by the talented Jason Stratton of Mbar. This meal was about more than breaking bread and community, this meal was about hope. The proceeds for this meal would help support Farmer Georgie Smith in the daunting task of rebuilding their beautiful, historic barn. Back in March, there was an unfortunate fire which destroyed their barn and many of their other farm equipment and supplies in the process.

Before our meal we went on a farm tour with Farmer Georgie where we were able to see for ourselves the devastating loss she experienced just months prior. Four sided hand forged nails were pulled from the rubble and stood as a reminder of the historical and iconic significance of this barn for both her, her family and the community.

Willowood Farm benefits from a unique climate where it never gets very hot. As a result, Georgie is able to offer her Seattle customers many items such as tomatoes later into the season than most farms.

Touring the farm before our meal.

Chef Jason from Mbar doing his thing.

Eagerly awaiting guests to be seated and served.

Chef Jason from Mbar stole our hearts with his grilled Willowood Farm young fava beans, za’atar & Jacobsen Salt Company sea salt as a starter and kept our palates interested and our stomaches excited all night long. Sea Wolf Bakers bread accompanied our meal with a side of chilies & olive oil.

Poached Neah Bay sockeye salmon with Garden Treasures cranberry beans, shaved Willowood Farm radishes & Walla Walla onions.

This was the first Outstanding in the Field dinner where I was actually cold. Once the wind picked up they were quick to offer blankets by the armful and I even saw one of the crew give the sweatshirt he was wearing to one of the guests.

Willowood Farm arugula salad with lemon balm & whey vinaigrette grated Willowood Farm beets, tahini, Ellenos yogurt & mint.

Ebey's Prairie is such a beautiful and special place to both me and my friend who came along for the dinner. I was happy I was able to share with her such a special evening.

Grilled Tails & Trotters pork chops Bob’s Red Mill bulgur, roasted Willowood Farm turnips, garlic scapes & salsa apicius.

Chef Jason making the rounds with the guests.

A beautiful mess of dessert: caramelized Garden Treasures raspberry & almond cake with Ellenos labneh & pine bud syrup.

After dinner treats from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

If the meal was not incredible enough we headed down to the beach for a spectacular sunset and the perfect end to a wonderful evening.

This post was sponsored by Outstanding in the Field.

All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.